#mjweek

[ravagedarkness]

MJ Week 2023: Of Secrets and Vandalism

(My entry for @mjweek)

I had a feeling that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Well, it was more than a feeling. Honestly, the signs were obvious. There were the times he’d come to school looking like he was roughed up. He suddenly dropped several clubs and other extracurricular activities. Plus, it was always rather interesting to me that Peter would disappear right before Spider-Man showed up to handle a crime or a crisis, like in D.C. He even cut out on Liz at Homecoming. I didn’t know why until the morning after. That was when news broke about Spider-Man defeating and catching Liz’s father.

It was just an all-around sucky situation for both Peter and Liz.

For days, Flash would get on Peter’s case about it, teasing Peter over and over about how he dropped the ball with Liz. The look of sadness and frustration on Peter’s face said it all every time it happened. After some days, I figured I needed to put an end to this.

“Hey, Flash,” I finally said one day during practice. “I think we all had our fill of Homecoming jokes.”

Flash looked at me with a smug look. “The jokes write themselves,” he replied with a shrug. “If Peter didn’t drop the ball with Liz and run out of Homecoming like a pussy, maybe we’d still have her as captain.”

I felt my right eye twitch. From the corner of my eye, I saw Peter shift in his seat. Everyone else in the room were looking at Flash and I. They knew Flash stepped on a landmine.

“So you have a problem with me being captain?” I asked in a grim tone.

Flash held up his hands in defense. “I’m just saying that maybe –”

“Maybe this, maybe that. Are maybes the topic now?” I made absolutely no effort to hide how annoyed I was.

“Um, Michelle…” Peter spoke up.

I turned my face towards him slowly. “First of all, I believe I told you that I prefer my friends to call me MJ. Second of all, it would be in your best interest to not interrupt.” I then turned my attention back towards Flash as Peter went quiet. “Now back to you. Since you want to talk about maybes, let’s talk about maybes. Maybe if Liz’s father didn’t engage in criminal activities, her and her family wouldn’t have to move away and force her off of everything Midtown related. And maybe if you spent less time picking on other people to make yourself feel better and more time actually taking practice seriously, maybe you’d actually be more than an alternate on this team. However, we’re not dealing with maybes and what ifs. We’re dealing with reality, and the reality is simple. Liz’s father is a criminal that fucked around with Spider-Man and found out, which forced Liz to move. And, despite having a better practice attendance record than Peter…” I gave Peter a sideways glare. “…not that that’s saying much…” I looked back at Flash. “…he has been outperforming you without even trying. But since you like talking about maybes, maybe the next time you feel like complaining about why Peter gets chosen over you for competition, you should start looking inward ask yourself if you’re the problem.”

The whole room went quiet. Well, it was mostly quiet. Ned, who was seated next to Peter, was covering his mouth, trying to hold back his laugh. He was mostly successful, I guess, but I still heard the squeaks of the trapped laughter from his throat. I almost didn’t notice the look of surprise on Peter’s face.

Almost.

I took in a breath, leaned back in my seat, and smiled. “Now, let’s get started.”

After practice, I told Peter to hang back. Once everyone was gone, I guided him to a corner of the library. During practice, an idea popped into my head. It was a somewhat crazy idea, but I figured it worth trying.

“Hey, Mi-, I mean, MJ,” Peter said. “Thank you for –”

“Don’t mention it,” I interrupted. I furrowed up my eyebrows. “Don’t think for a moment I’m cool with your shaky attendance, either. I need you to step up. Flash is not the only viable alternate we have anymore, so I have no problem yanking you off of first string or kicking you off the team completely. Do you understand me?” Peter swallowed as he nodded. “Good. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

He raised an eyebrow. “My attendance wasn’t what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Nope.” I popped the P when I said it. “I need your help on something. I can’t tell you what it is yet. But I need you to meet me outside the Trader Joe’s near MoMA PS1 tonight. And wear dark clothing.”

“Um… are we going to be doing something illegal?”

I smirked. “Yes, but it’s for a good cause.” I turned and walked away. “I’ll see you tonight at 11. Don’t be late.” I knew he had questions. He’d get his answers eventually.

Later on that night, I waited at the meeting spot. I was dressed in all black sweats and a pair of black Air Force 1s. Over my shoulder was messenger bag. To my surprise, Peter was actually. I figured he’d be late doing Spider-Man stuff – assuming he was Spider-Man. I was only 66 percent sure. Anyway, Peter arrived. He was dressed in blue jeans and a black sweatshirt.

“You’re actually on time for once,” I deadpanned. “Miracles do happen.”

“Oh ha-ha,” he snarked. “Seriously, why are we here this late at night?”

“Simple.” I raised my shoulder, bringing attention to the messenger bag that hung from it. “We’re going to break into the MoMA PS1 building and vandalize an exhibit.”

He narrowed his eyes. “…Okay… and why?”

“It’ll make sense when we get there. Now come on.”

We made our way to the museum. I didn’t tell Peter that I was scoping the place out for weeks, to the point that I memorized the code to get in through the back. I reached into the bag and pulled out two ski masks. I handed one to him. He eyed me for a bit, but he put it on. I put mine on before I stepped up to the door. I punched in the code. After hearing a beep, I opened the door. I beckoned Peter through. After he walked in, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

“Follow me,” I ordered. He did so as I walked through the building. I looked left and right, taking in the different pieces of art. I was looking for a certain exhibit –one that was going live tomorrow. It didn’t take me long to find it. I stopped when I saw the banner hanging from the ceiling.

“The Future of Art,” Peter read aloud.

“A future people are trying to prevent,” I added.

“Is this like a Skynet situation?” I looked over my shoulder at him. “I’m just saying, it sounds like you’re trying to prevent the rise of The Terminators or something.”

I rolled my eyes. “You really are a nerd.”

He tilted his head. “Says the captain of the AcaDeca team.”

“Fuck you. Let’s get this over with before the security guards starting doing their sweeps.”

We entered the exhibit. Peter looked around at the digital prints that hung on the walls. “What’s so bad about these art pieces?” Peter asked.

“Look closer,” I urged. He glanced at me before he stepped up to one of the pieces. It was a picture of a woman in lingerie sitting on a bed in front of a window. It took him a moment, but then he saw it. He saw the extra fingers on her hands. He saw how her legs, covered in stockings, seemed to be a part of the comforter she was sitting on. He saw how her ankles were a part of one foot. And he saw how one of the curtains seemed to be a part of her hair.

“…What the…?” He looked back at me. Even with his mask on, I could practically feel the look of confusion. “What is this?”

“This, Loser, is AI Art.”

He leaned forward a bit. “You mean, like pictures made with Dall-E and Midjourney?”

“The very same,” I said. “Most of these pictures are generated by pulling art from the internet, stealing other people’s work. So, we’re going to vandalize it the exhibit to send a message.” I reached into the bag once more and pulled out two cans of spray paint. I tossed one to Peter, who caught it with one hand. He looked down at it. He then looked at me.

“Do you often do stuff like this?” he asked.

I nodded. “I do. Do you remember when Gaydon Creed tried to run for mayor and his ties to The Friends of Humanity were exposed?” He nodded. “Yeah, that was me. But do me a favor and keep it to yourself. I like to keep this part of my activist activities a secret.”

Peter nodded quietly, silently agreeing to my request. I smiled underneath the mask. I was about to turn away before Peter spoke again. “…How come you asked me to come along?”

“Well…” I trailed off. I tried to think of the right words to say. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was now or never… or at a later time, perhaps, but this was an opportunity to have this talk. “I always wondered something about you. And I wanted to ask you about it. I figured you were hiding a huge secret. So, I decided to do a trade – my secret for yours.” Peter looked down towards the floor. “You always go missing right before a certain hero shows up. You left many clubs at school – AcaDeca is the only club you’re a part of now. And there are times you show up to school looking you had a rough night.” I walked up to him slowly before I stopped a foot short of him. “Are you…?”

Peter slowly raised his head and looked me in the eye. I could see the gears turning in his head. I didn’t push him. I just waited. I knew he was weighing the pros and cons. Spider-Man wasn’t like other heroes. Everybody and their mother knew the real names of The Avengers, from Tony to Natasha (though, I wonder if Natasha really was her actual name, he apparently being a spy and all). I had a feeling that only a handful of people knew who Spider-Man was underneath the mask. After several seconds, he averted his gaze and nodded.

“How many people know?” I asked.

“Only a handful… The Starks and their people, Ned, my aunt…” He chuckled bitterly as he returned his gaze to me. “I didn’t even get a chance to tell them, really. Tony tracked me down and Ned and Aunt May saw me unmask by accident.” He shook his head. “I don’t like my identity being out there. Because if the people I fight and take on find out who I am they’ll –” He paused for a moment. “…Adrian… The Vulture… He figured out who I was, and he threatened to kill me and my family if I didn’t just go to Homecoming and do nothing while he tried to steal a whole bunch of alien tech from a Stark Industries jet. I almost stayed.” He saw his Adam’s apple move before he continued. “…I couldn’t even say anything to Liz afterwards. I didn’t mean to embarrass her like that. But, I couldn’t just… you know.” He tilted his head. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“As long as you keep this between us, we’re good,” I assured. “Like I told you, I’m trading my secret for yours. But um… we’re going to have to talk AcaDeca practices in the morning. For now, let’s get to decorating.”

He nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it. Honestly, these pictures creep me the hell out.”

I chuckled. “Same.”

We got to spray painting. There wasn’t a single picture that was left untouched by the time we were done. There was one particular one that Peter took his time with. It was a weird pic of Flash and Spider-Man behind turntables. I finished things off by spraying a message on the floor.

Support real art. Support real artists.

After that, we left. When we were outside, Peter wrapped his arm around my body and pulled me close.

“Um, Peter,” I uttered, a bit confused.

“It’s faster this way.”

Before I knew it, he jumped in the air and shot a strand of webbing. That was the first time he took me webslinging. I wished it was my last time. Still, we got to my building in record time. We landed on the roof. He pulled away and looked at me. I took off my ski mask and glared at him.

“Next time, a little warning,” I said.

“Sorry,” Peter replied sheepishly as he took off his mask. He went quiet for a moment. “I… Um… Thank you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

“For taking me along for this and… you know.”

I scoffed. “Dude, you saved my friends and do good deeds around this city. It’d be pretty fucked up if I exposed you.”

“I just wish people weren’t mad at me about what I did to Liz.”

I sighed. “It sucks for her, and I wish she didn’t have to go through that. But while I love Liz to death, I’d take her being heartbroken and embarrassed over being worried about being vaporized by some alien laser weapon or something.” I smiled. “It’s a sucky situation, Peter, but you did the right thing, Peter. I hope you understand that.” He looked at me for moments. He then smiled slightly and nodded. I playfully pushed him on his shoulder. “Now go home and get some sleep. And your ass better be at practice.”

“Yes ma’am.” He put on the ski mask. “I’ll give this mask back to you tomorrow.” He turned away and brought his right arm out. After he shot a strand of webbing, he looked over his shoulder at me. “Hey… if you ever need backup for something like this, come find me.”

I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to do that? What if I take you along to burn down an oil refinery or bomb a government building?” Of course, I wouldn’t do any of that. There was a fine line between activism and terrorism, and I was bent on not crossing that line, ever. No, I only said that to try and get a rise out of Peter.

But, I didn’t get the kind of reaction I was hoping for. Instead he stared at me quietly for a few seconds before he spoke. “Because, MJ… I trust you.” That was the last thing he said before he swung away.

I watched him for a bit. I then scoffed as I shook my bed. “Loser,” I said to myself. I made my way towards the door to get back inside my building. I was starting to get sleepy. Still, I smiled to myself. It was a job well done tonight. And if I was feeling warm and fuzzy in my chest because Spider-Man… Peter… trusted me, well, that’s my little secret.

[abcd-em]

Do you know if MJ week still starts tmrw?! The Tumbler page hasn’t been updated in a while and just wondering if you still plan to have fics for it this week?! Thanks!

I'm sorry, I only know what's been shared on @mjweek

I did have 2 fics planned for the prompts but I don't think I'll get them done in time unfortunately - they'll make their way into the world at some point I'm sure

Looking forward to seeing what people share though ❤️

[spiderman-homecomeme]

con tenerezza - with tenderness

Nerves flutter in the pit of her stomach, manifesting into a slight shake in her hands as she rests them on the keys. Her skin is heated, cheeks burning at the feeling of so many pairs of eyes on her and only her—friends, family, professors, teachers.

Breathe in, breathe out, she reminds herself.

But there’s warmth in her chest, kind and gentle, feeling the love that rests in every single gaze—knowing that everyone here is here for her.

Because they love her.

Slowly, she closes her eyes and starts to play.

—

For day five of @mjweek, hobbies and pastimes! two years later, here’s another movement of poco a poco cresc.; mj performing at her senior recital ❤️

[gadgettrish]

Here are some highlights from Forest Lawn (part 3) =========================== 🌻 #ILoveTheJacksonFamily #MJSeason2019 #MJInnocent #MJfan #amplifyMJ #HonorMJ #MichaelJackson #MuteWho #jacksonfamilyfan #MJfam #MJWeek #JusticeforMJ #MJSeason #kingofpop #moonwalk #moonwalkers #sunflower #10yearswithoutmichaeljackson #Nevercansaygoodbye https://www.instagram.com/p/BzKPNnQj4UD/?igshid=bq1qzcddbcy4

[veggiewrapwithhummus]

MJ

@mjweek

[lunannex]

MJ being an artist is something that can be so personal actually

Just a little contribution for @mjweek Day Five: hobbies and pastimes :D

[ixoren]

A thinker, a observer of the world, an artist, MJ can truly do it all

@mjweek Day 2 Pre-Homcoming MJ

[mjweek]

MJ Week 2022 is finally here! 

And we’re back with another year for MJ Week. We had a huge few months with the release of Spider-Man No Way Home, and we’ve gotten an opportunity to take a slightly closer look into MJ’s life and backstory. This week is dedicated to expanding more of her world based on the prompts. 

Feel free to create fanfiction, videos, fanart, moodboards, gifsets, photosets, photo edits, meta posts/analyses, playlists, anything you want to express your love for our best girl. 

Prompts

April 10th: Michelle Jones-Watson - This prompt is an opportunity to expand on MJ’s identity as her full name was revealed, with a few implications, in No Way Home. 

April 11th: Pre-Homecoming MJ - How did MJ become MJ? How was her childhood like throughout the years? What was her life before she discovered, or leading up to, her crush on Peter?

April 12th: MJ & ___ - There are so many lovable characters in MCU Spidey, and even more lovable dynamics that are birthed from them. What is MJ’s relationship like with the people in her life? (Ned, Flash, May, etc.) Your choice in dynamic!

April 13th: Meet Again After No Way Home - How is MJ’s life after graduating high school? After losing her memories of Peter? At MIT? Does she get her memories back? Does she see him again? 

April 14th: Hobbies and/or pastimes - MJ is a whole person with a life outside of her romance; what does she do in her spare time? What does she like? 

April 15th: Figuring It Out - We all know and love MJ’s knack of observation and sleuthing. With her skills, what else can she discover? 

April 16th: Free Day - Your prompt of choice!

Once you post, tag our blog @mjweek, and your works will be reblogged when the time comes!

Disclaimer: No racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia/age in-appropriate ships, non-con, etc. We reserve the right to deny any creations that we feel can cause harm. 

[promiseofthepremise]

she loves

for @mjweek prompt: "MJ & __"

thank you beloveds for this week to celebrate our girl 💖

12k words | rated T

She tells a boy she loves him and that matters in the grand scheme of things, even if she won’t let him say it back, but it matters too that she forgets.

It matters in the sense that loving him was still important even if he’s gone now and it matters in the sense that everyone she loves to come will be equally important.

Michelle doesn’t know this, though.

To Michelle there is no before, to Michelle there’s just her life and all of the people worth loving in it.

OR: Love after forgetting, in all its many forms.

[momentofmemory]

fight like a girl, cry like a girl, do your thing, run the whole damn world      —lizzo, like a girl

↳ @mjweek, day 4: badass mj

[starkravinghazelnoots]

MJ couldn’t do this.

“Sorry about… today,” Ned said, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I know it didn’t go how you planned.”

Oh, now there was the understatement of the century. MJ had crumbled beneath the pressure, shattering the way a glass goblet met a brick floor. She should have known better.

MJ couldn’t do this.

Why had Liz believed she could do this?

Read all of (un)likely on AO3. Written for Day 3 of MJ Week 2022: MJ & [Betty], hosted by @mjweek​.

[hollow-dweller]

new fic: some way of being human

fandom: spider-man

relationships: MJ & Her Family, MJ & Ned

summary:

“It’s so—fucking weird, dude.” She’s quiet for a moment. “My dad comes and visits them, apparently. Like, often.”

He hums, non-committal.

She frowns. “What?” she asks, defensive.

“Well, I mean. It kinda makes sense, right?” he says, slowly, like he’s thinking aloud. “He’s still got parenting things to do with your mom and James—”

“James is not my parent,” MJ interjects, but Ned keeps talking.

“And like, he’s gotta do something to work through all the—" she hears a slight rustling on the line, like Ned is waving his hands around expressively, “—and he’s basically only got two ways to do that. Either he talks to your mom, and they deal with it together, or he… ignores it. And he seems like the type to deal with his problems head on, you know. Healthy and honest, or whatever.”

The line is silent for a long moment.

“Subtle, Ned,” MJ says, tartly.

my (belated) fill for @mjweek day 1, prompt "Michelle Jones-Watson" and based partially on @notaschuyler's headcanon about MJ's mom remarrying during the blip

read it on ao3

[spideysmjs]

pandemonium (the good place au)

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a great day! Here’s my submission for MJ Week 2022 -- based off Season 1′s finale of The Good Place!

For Day Six of @mjweek: Figuring It Out

MJ as Eleanor

Peter as Chidi

Flash as Tahani

Brad as Jason

Ned as Janet

Mr. Harrington as Michael 

Quentin Beck as Shawn 

“You have 30 minutes,” Mr. Beck turns on a countdown floating above the four of their heads before crossing his arms and walking away as he continues to MJ’s bedroom, “because I won’t be returning to the Bad Place without two people.”

As soon as he disappears from the living room, MJ turns around to face a poor, hopeless Harrington. She scans his face carefully before he says, "All I wanted was my first neighborhood to be perfect. Now you’re all suffering. I’m sorry.”

Harrington steps away, standing quietly behind the clown-painted automatic doors to MJ’s bedroom, listening to the sound of the circus echo before leaving the four of them alone to make their final decision.

MJ paces around the room while everyone drops to the couch, unsure of what to do. When she faces them, they stare at her, waiting for another clever, roundabout solution—despite being completely out of ideas. 

A tiny, very tiny, smile tugs at the corner of her lips. 

No one’s ever depended on her like this. 

Maybe she is changing. Maybe Peter’s heroic lessons have worked out for her. After all, she did help an elderly woman cross the street today, even if there are no cars in The Good Place. Maybe her growth in leading this rag-tag team of hopeless dead people is a sign. Maybe it’s a sign that she should... go.

“It has to be me and Brad,” she says, putting her best face forward. All three pairs of eyes widen at her answer. “We’re the ones that lied and dragged you down. We deserve to leave.”

Without missing a beat, Peter and Flash simultaneously say, “Agreed.”

“Wow, thought you’d at least pretend to care,” she murmurs. 

Brad stands up immediately, throwing his hands in the air. “Woah, woah. That Beck guy said we’ve all done bad things here. So let’s look at this ethnically.” 

“Ethically,” Peter sighs quietly. Without looking, MJ can tell his eyes are rolling to the back of his head, brimming with impatience that he’s too good to reveal. Whatever. Whatever. So what if she can tell? It’s not like Peter’s her real soulmate anyway. It’s not like she’s the real MJ of The Good Place. 

Ignoring Peter, Brad points out, “You guys did something bad by helping me and MJ. It’s basic consequentialism. The morality of an action is solely judged on its consequences.”

Peter claps his hands and stands up. “Now you’re learning? Now?”

“Peter’s done worse stuff than me! I just minded my own business. I pretended I didn’t even talk, man. He murdered Ned! He murdered my best friend!”

“I was trying to stop you from doing it!” 

“Ned is not your best friend,” Flash stands up. “There’s a Ned in every neighborhood!”

“Well, this Ned is MY best friend. We exchanged friendship bracelets.”

 “Oh my God,” MJ groans. “B-Dog, let’s discuss this in the other room.”

MJ drags him away. 

“What?”

“Come on, dude. You barely paid attention to Peter’s classes. Peter has worked way too hard for us to just send him to the Bad Place,” she says. “He’s helped me a lot, Brad.”

“Fine.”

“Really? That was easy.”

“Whatever, dude. But if they want to tear someone’s asshole out, you’re going first,” Brad points out.

“Fine, sure. It’s not like we won’t be tortured for the rest of our damn lives,” MJ retorts, dragging him back into the living room. “Alright, Team Meeting. Brad has agreed to come with me to the Bad Place.”

Peter and Flash stare at her, speechless. 

“Yeah. Bye, Flash. Sorry I wasn’t a good soulmate,” Brad says. “You can clean my bud-hole out once we disintegrate.”

“We’re not going to disintegrate,” MJ says.

“Yet,” Brad adds.

She walks away, heading closer to Peter. There’s a frown etched upon his face. How does heartbreak feel so real in heaven? How is she going to tell Peter that she’ll miss him? Maybe even think about him sometimes in between torture sessions? 

“It’s been real, my dude,” she blurts out. Peter grins. “Sorry. I just... I’m not saying goodbye or ending things. Kinda how I always end things.”

“Checks out,” he grins at the ground momentarily, before his smile begins to fall. “I feel like I failed you.”

“No, no Peter,” MJ says, tearing up. “Don’t say that.” She places her hands on Peter’s shoulders. “I fell into a cave. You were my flashlight.” 

Before Peter can say anything, Flash interrupts their moment, pulling MJ into an embrace. “I’m gonna miss you, girl.”

She laughs. “I’ll miss you, too.” 

They all pull into one, final group hug. MJ didn’t think she could ever care about anyone so much until being here, until learning how to be better—how to actually think about others before herself, unlike how she’d been raised.

There’s a pounding on the door before they can head out.

It bursts open.

Michelle. Well, the other Michelle. MJ squints. What does she want? She can have her soulmate after MJ leaves. 

“I’m taking one of the slots for the Bad Place.”

“What?!” they all shout, aside from Brad who smiles, “Awesome!”

MJ shoves Brad. 

Peter steps forward to Michelle, frowning. “What? Why?”

“Everyone else here has a soulmate... and my soulmate doesn’t love me.” Peter shifts his feet. MJ watches carefully as his body language shifts when Michelle points out, “I don’t know if you love MJ or Flash or whoever else is here in this neighborhood, but... you don’t love me. Which means that this... will never be my Good Place. I’m going. So pick one more person.”

Without time for anyone to disagree, she disappears through the front door as fast as she walked through.

“Sooo,” MJ smacks her lips. “Let’s just get this over with. I’ll go. You three stay.”

“Yes!” Brad says, turning to Ned. “We did it!”

Ned pulls him into a hug.

“No, you’re not going,” Peter says. “I’m going.”

“Wh.. what?” MJ asks. 

“Michelle—the other one you know—she’s my soulmate. Or was. She’s only going down there because she thinks I don’t love her.”

“Well do you?” Flash asks. 

“Please don’t ask me that. My stomach hurts more than when Doc Ock used to punch me down to the ground.”

A beat. MJ rolls her eyes, “Peter, you’re ridiculous. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going. End of story.”

“I’m going,” Flash says. 

“What?” MJ asks. 

“I’m going and replacing Michelle. Peter and I will go together. I think we can really work out no matter where we end up.”

“You do realize that the Good Place isn’t a couple’s retreat right?”

As they continue to bicker with each other, Brad jumps up and down in his couch, thinking and assuming that everyone else will go aside from him. He’s celebrating endlessly in a way that makes the migraine in MJ’s head grow harder and harder. Flash and Peter speak over each other too loudly for her to even understand what they want. 

MJ doesn’t argue any longer, throwing her head back in agony as if the migraine she has now is a migraine that never left since the moment she got here. In fact, every single moment has been agony. The Good Place has stressed her out more than when she lived her life on Earth as a horrible human being. 

It’s almost as if...

“Holy, motherforking shirt balls.”

They all fall silent. Peter asks, “What?”

“Wow,” MJ laughs. “Wow. Beck! Harrington! Come here. We’re ready.”

The doors slide open. Beck asks, “Is everything okay?”

“We’ve made a decision. Peter and I are going to the Bad Place.” The two gentlemen look shocked, but she can see right through their eyes if those really are eyes. 

“Huh?” Peter asks.

“But,” Harrington stutters, “But what about the Real MJ—”

“No. We decided. It’s me and Peter. Call the train.”

Beck says, “I don’t accept this. It’s supposed to be Brad and MJ.”

“Nope. Nope! You said two people. It’s me and Peter. Come on, let’s go.” She glances quickly back at Peter, who's looking at her as if she’s speaking nonsense. It hasn’t clicked for anyone else yet. She stares directly into Harrington’s eyes. “Ready when you are boss.”

A beat. Then Peter asks, “MJ, what’s going on?” 

She nods her head, smiling at the two men in front of her as she turns to Peter. “It took me a while to figure it out. But just now? When we were all fighting and yelling at each other and each of us demanding we should go to the Bad Place, I thought… wow this is torture. And then I realized… they’re never going to call a train to the Bad Place.”

MJ points back to her. “We’re already here. This… this is the Bad Place.”

All four look at Harrington, not needing to wait for a response before he laughs maniacally at them. “Oh, man. I can’t believe you figured it out. Oh, God! MJ, you ruined everything, you know that? You really suck! I was so close to pulling it off.”

MJ crosses her arms in victory. Harrington drops to the couch behind him, knocking a lamp down on purpose. 

“Wait, so MJ’s right?” Flash asks.

“Yep, she’s right as rain,” Harrington laughs. “MJ figured it out.”

“No, this doesn’t make any sense. This is paradise,” Peter says. 

“Peter, it looks like Paradise, but to me, this is a neighborhood full of a clusterfork of our anxieties. I’m surrounded by people who are quite literally better than me. Brad wasn’t allowed to talk, which tortured Flash, who tortured Brad right back for forcing him to talk. I was tortured into trying to be a Good Person, which tortured Peter because he had to be a good soulmate to me. Then, that tortured Flash because Peter doesn’t like Flash.”

“You don’t like me?” Flash pouts.

“Please don’t ask me that,” Peter groans.

MJ points at the two of them. “See?! We’ve all been set to torture each other since the moment we got here! Harrington played us!”

Harrington frowns. “Damn, this sucks.”

“No, it doesn’t,” MJ says. “You really thought you could group the four of us to torture each other… I can see it… A vigilante superhero… a straight-up selfish lawyer… a clueless jock turned failed student-athlete… A rich fraud… You thought we could do this for 1,000 years… but instead, we cared for each other. We helped each other.”

She glances back at the three of her new friends.

“We became a team. So, the only thing you succeeded in doing… was bringing us together.”

Harrington’s eyes pop open. “That’s right. That was my mistake. I brought you together. Put you too close to each other. Next time, I have to separate you!”

Peter asks, “What? Next time?” 

“Yeah, I’m going to erase your memories and try it again once the boss gives me approval!” Harrington rushes out to meet with Beck. 

MJ’s heart is pounding, racing faster than she’s ever known. She has to find a solution. She looks to the rest of them, clueless. Helpless. They look to her like she knows an answer. 

She grabs Peter’s nearest ethics novel, rips the first page, and scribbles something down. 

“Ned,” she turns over to face Ned. “You can’t swallow or eat things right?”

Ned smiles. “No!” 

“Open wide!” MJ instructs Ned as he listens happily, opening his mouth and accepting the crumpled-up piece of paper just before Harrington comes back in.

“Well, are you all ready?” he grins. “Of course you are, you won’t remember.”

“You know what, Harrington? Do your worst. We figured it once, we can do it again. Because you know what Harrington? Ya bas–”

A white flash clouds all of them.

One.

Two.

Three. 

-

MJ opens her eyes in a white room, glancing around, and sees a wall with painted affirmations. 

Everything is fine. 

“Michelle?” an unfamiliar voice comes from behind her. “I’m Mr. Harrington. It’s nice to meet you.”

–

After touring the neighborhood, MJ stands alone now in a house full of clowns, having lied her ass on the first day in freaking heaven. She takes a deep breath, though she barely lets it out until she hears a quiet ding.

Someone appears in front of her, as if out of nowhere. 

“Woah. Who are you?” she yells, backing away at the man whose smile widens from ear to ear. 

“Ned. I think this is for you,” he hands her a crumpled paper. “I found it in my mouth when I was rebooted.”

MJ blinks. “What?” 

It’s not possible. She just got here. She grabs the paper, opening it up. 

MJ - find Peter. 

She furrows her eyebrows. 

“Who the fork is Peter?”

[gadgettrish]

I am ending this MJ week with my first Michael Jackson Pool Party. Truly grateful to be invited and for this amazing moment. =========================== 🌻 https://www.instagram.com/p/BzW-zy2DHtP/?igshid=kukpja0204s1

[abcd-em]

For the Free Day of @mjweek

Moments of Peter thinking of MJ

Alternatively titled: How Sunflowers Follow the Sun, Day after Day

Inspired by @spideymichelle

[shrinkthisviolet]

Summary: The people in Michelle Jones-Watson's life love her in a multitude of ways, and when someone decides to ask them about her, they're all too happy to express it.

For @mjweek Day 3, “MJ & __”, I present 1k words of MJ being praised to kingdom come by her loved ones 💞